Fall Bucket List 2014 Begins!

Hooray!  The weather is getting cooler and it is finally time to begin chipping away at this year's Fall Bucket List.  We have many, many, many things to do and see and eat and experience in the next few months.  Let us know if you have any suggestions of things to do (especially here in Virginia) or if you want company on your next Fall adventure!  See what we have been up to on Instagram by searching #jamfallbucketlist2013.

1. Host a "Low Country Boil"
This is a new addition this year.  And we are so excited about it!  Everyone here in Lynchburg refers to this area as "the South."  When *I* look at a map, it looks pretty dead center East Coast to me but a patient from Pennsylvania laughed and corrected me yesterday by saying, "There is NO WAY this is the East Coast.  This is the South."  Okay. 

Living in "the South" means that I can try my hand at southern cuisine.  I once had Low Country Boil at a Joe's Crab Shack in Des Moines, IA.  I love the concept.  As I did some research, I found that the best way to serve this is dumped out in a big pile on layers of newspaper so everyone can dig in and grab what they want.  We weren't that authentic this year, but we may get more daring over the next few years.

I made this for Andrew's Summer 2013 LC DPT lab group on the first Friday night of college football.  It was so spicy and so much fun to do!  We served it up with crusty white bread, Great Grandma's baked beans and cold bottled pops--the Mt. Dew throwback was the standout!

LOW COUNTRY BOIL

Low Country Boil is best made in an outdoor cooker like a turkey fryer.  Drain and dump out on a picnic table that is well-covered in butcher paper so that everyone can just help themselves.  This would make a great potluck—have every guest bring a side and a pound of shellfish to throw in!

 

6 quarts water                                                             1 c. Old Bay seasoning
2 lemons, quartered                                                     2 t. minced garlic
1 bay leaf                                                                    Cayenne pepper
3 lbs. honey gold potatoes, halved                             1 yellow onion, quartered
2-16 oz. packages cooked polska kielbasa                  3 ears fresh corn, shucked
3 lbs. jumbo shrimp                                                     Lemon wedges
Cocktail sauce                                                             Squirt butter
Hot sauce                                                                    Creole seasoning

 

Heat the water, Old Bay seasoning, lemons, garlic, bay leaf and cayenne pepper in a 12 quart stock pot until boiling.  Add the potatoes and onion and cook for 15 minutes.  Slice up the kielbasa into 2” pieces.  By hand, break each ear of corn into three pieces.  Add to the water and allow to cool for another five minutes.  Add in the shrimp and cook five minutes.  Allow to sit in pot for a final five minutes.  Drain and serve with additional lemon wedges, cocktail sauce, squirt butter, hot sauce and Creole seasoning.  This is messy goodness!

2.  Watch "Remember the Titans"
After stuffing ourselves silly with food, we settled down to watch the Director's Cut of my favorite movie.  I just love this feel-good flick.  I still get chills EVERY TIME I watch this part: